UPDATE: Check out our review of the 2017/2018 Electric Electrolite here
- Price: £90-125
- Frame/Strap: Royal Blue
- Lens: Brose Blue Chrome
- ELECTRICCALIFORNIA.COM
Fancy goggle tech is all well and good, but it’s most effective when it makes the them anonymous. If you can forget you’re even wearing a pair, you know you’re on to a good thing. This year, Electric have taken that idea further than anyone ever has: introducing the Electric Electrolite snowboard goggles.
These things are light – seriously, seriously light. Weighing in at a frankly mind-boggling 88.5 grams, this model is (according to Electric) 31% lighter than the industry average. People are welcome to quibble over the specifics of that figure as much as they like, but as soon as you pick up a pair there’s no question that Electric have stepped into a different league.
“Weighing in at a frankly mind-boggling 88.5 grams, this model is 31% lighter than the industry average”
The frame is made entirely out of Ethylene-vinyl acetate (commonly referred to as EVA) that you often find in the footbeds and outsoles of snowboard boots. That’s because of its lightweight and freeze-resistant nature, which are both good qualities in a goggle frame too. While there’s no quick lens-changing system, doing it the old-fashioned way still works just fine, and there are vents all along the top to keep the lenses fog-free.
While most goggles feature a little silicon on the inside of a fabric strap, the one on the Electric Electrolite is 100% made of the stuff. Again, it’s almost impossibly light, but is far stronger than it looks and won’t budge once you’ve set it on your head or helmet.
Aesthetically, these might not be for everyone. While it’s true that you could say that about any pair, this one’s mega-low-profile look is definitely cut from a different cloth. Still, we expect it to garner plenty of fans this winter, especially among those who favour a cylindrical lens – and if blue’s not for you, there are four other colourways from which to choose.
None of Electric’s weight-saving wizardry would be worth a damn if the goggles couldn’t also perform to a high standard, but the Electric Electrolite passes with flying colours. Do what you can to get a pair of these on your head this winter.